Hay-rake.



PATENTED AUG. 22, 1905.

0. P. VROOM.

HAY RAKE.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 24. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT l.

Attorneys J 0 w O m W M 0 S w a m w mzns. wnsmumou. n. c.

N0- 797,645. PATENTED AUG. 22, 1905. 0. P. VROOM.

HAY RAKE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Inventor M V7 0 0m Witnesses by 1 a x i r Attorneys FAT ENT FFIOE.

"OLER P. VROOM, OF LINNEUS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE SUPERIOR HAY STAOKER MANUFACTURING (10., OF LINNEUS, MISSOURI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1905.

Application filed February 2 1, 1905. Serial No. 247,185.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, Oman P. VRooM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Linneus, in the county of Linn and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Haydiake, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hay-rakes of that class which are known as puslrrakesf and it may be described as an improvement upon the device for which Letters Patent of the United States No. 738,819 were granted on September 15, 1903, to Lewis O. Knapp, Thomas S. Stephenson, and myself jointly. In the said patent a push-rake has been shown provided with a tilting head, and means have been provided whereby said head may be tilted to elevate the points of the rake-teeth from the ground by the tractive power exerted by the team, a trip mechanism being provided whereby the rake-teeth will be held in contact with the ground until such time as it shall be desired to tilt the rake-headnvhen by operating the trip mechanism the tilting is effected.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide an improved connection between the rake-head and the draft mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cushioning device for the rake-head, whereby a certain freedom of movement shall be permitted to the latter.

Other objects are to promote simplicity and effectiveness in the construction and operation of the device.

With these and other ends in View, which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of embodiment of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations, and modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the invention and without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the efliciency of the same.

In'said drawings,Figure l is a side elevation of a hay-rake embodying the improvements of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the parts embodying the present invention. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view in perspective of a part of the device.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference.

P designates the push-frame, of which 1 1 are the side members, 2 the rear cross-piece, and 3 3 obliquely-disposed braces, which are connected with the inner sides of the side members and converge in a rearward direction, being supported upon the rear crossbrace 2. The side members 1 1 are connected near their front ends by a cross-piece 1, and they have pivotal or hinge connection with the rake-head H, which includes an axle 5, having suppo1'ting-\vheels 6; teeth 7,connected with the under side of the axle and connected in rear of said axle by a tubular cross member 8; uprights 9, connected. by a cross-piece 10, and suitably-disposed braces 11 and 12. The uprights 9 and cross-piece 1O cooperate to form what may be termed a back wall for the rake-head, which, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, is in all essential particulars identical with the rake-head shown in Letters Patent No. 7 38,819, to which reference has been made above. It may be stated, however, that I do not consider myself limited to the use of a rake-head of this particular construction, inasmuch as any wheel-supported rake-head having upright members with which the lifter-bars, to be hereinafter described, may be connected will answer the purposes of the present invention.

The rear end of the pusher-frame is supported upon one or more wheels, as 13, the sup iiorting-frames of which, as 14:, are preferably swiveled to the under side of the frame in order that the said wheel or wheels may have a caster action. Securely mounted upon the rear portion of the pusher-frame is a plate or supporting member 1;), which is provided at its front end with lugs 16, between which a hand-lever 17 is pivoted. The said plate 15 also supports a pair of bell-crank levers 17 18, placed one above the other and fulcrumed upon a single pivot 19. The rearward-extending arms 17 18 of the bell-crank levers are connected by means of links 20 with the outer free ends of levers 21, pivoted upon the braces 3 and supported upon the side members 1 of the push-frame, where the said levers are guided and their movement limited by means of clips or guide-plates 22. Swingletrees 23 for the attachment of the draft are also mounted at the free outer ends of the levers 21.

2 1 24 are the lifter-bars, the front ends of which are connected pivotally with the rakehead through the medium of brackets 25, connected with upward extensions of the braces 11. The converging rear ends of the lifterbars 2& are connected by means of a plate or casting 26, through which extends a bolt. 27. Said bolt also extends through a buffer'plate 28 (shown in detail in Fig. 1 of the drawings) and is provided in rear of said buffer-plate with a bifurcated head 29. A spring 30 is coiled upon the bolt 27 between the bufferplate and the plate or casting 26, which, in conjunction with the side members 2a, constitutes the lifter-frame. The buffer-plate 28 is provided with laterally-extending wings 31, having perforations 32, connected, by means of links 33, with the laterally-extending arms of the bell-crank levers 17 18. The hand-lever 17 is pivotally connected a short distance above its fulcrum with the bifurcated head of.

the bolt 27.

The plate or supporting member 15 is provided with a bearing 34, upon which is pivoted a foot-lever 35, provided at its upper end with a foot support or treadle 36 and having near its heel a recess 37, adapted for the accommodation of the point of a hook 38, which is pivotally connected with the hand-lever 17 at a point 39 which is some distance above the pivotal connecting-point of said lever with the bifurcated head 29 of the bolt 27-. The handlever17 and the foot-lever 35 are disposed in coinciding vertical longitudinal planes, so that one will abut upon the other. These levers, together with the hook 38, constitute the trip mechanism, which is in all essential particulars similar to that shown and described in Letters Patent No. 738,819, previously referred to, the book 38 being bifurcated to embrace the levers 35 and 17 and provided between said levers with a triangular crosspiece, as shown at 40 in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The bell-crank levers 17 and 18 are straddled by means of a clip-plate 41, through which the pivotal bolt 19 passes, thus preventing said bolt from binding the said levers and preventing them from moving freely. The supporting-plate 15 also carries a spring-support 12 for the drivers seat 4C3.

The supporting-plate 15, between the lugs 16 16 of which the hand-lever 17 is pivoted, is provided with a rack-segment 14, concentric with the fulcrum of said lever, which carries a suitably-operated spring-actuated dog or pawl 45, engaging the rack-segment for the purpose of retaining said lever and the parts connected therewith in adjusted position.

Regarding the operation of the trip mechanism, it will be readily seen that when the hand-lever 17 is thrown forward to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 the lifter-frame will drop forward, thus permitting the'rake-teeth at their free ends to rest 'upon the ground while a load is being accumulated, the teeth being retained in this position partly by the weight of the load and also by the pressure of the spring 30. If obstructions should be encountered by the points of the rake-teeth, they will be free to moveslightly in an upward direction, throwing the rakehead back against the tension of the spring 30. \Vhen a load has been accumulated, pressure upon the foot-lever is relieved, and thefoot-lever, as well as the hand-lever 17 is thrown back to the position indicated in full lines in Fig. 3. The hand-lever 17 will thus exercise a direct strain in a rearward direction upon the lifter-frame and the rake-head will be tilted so as to elevate the points of the rake-teeth, thus enabling the load to be conveniently transported to the place where it is to be stacked. It is obvious that the tilting operation is not performed bythe strain exercised by the operator on the hand lever 17, but that as soon as said lever is released from looking engagement with the rack 44 the traction exercised by the draft-animals becomes efiective to tilt the arms l7 18 of the bell-crank levers 17 18 in an outward direction and the laterally-extending arms of said bell-crank levers in a rearward direction, thus exercising a backward strain upon the bufierplate 28, which is transmitted, through the bolt 27, to the lifter-frame, thus causing the rakehead to be tilted without the exercise of any specialeffort on the part of the operator. The rake-head will be retained in tilted position by means of the hook 38 engaging the recess 37 in the heel of the foot-lever. When the trip mechanism is released for the purpose-of dumping the load, the cushion-spring 30 will be efiective to prevent injury to the rakehead or to other parts of the machine by the too sudden or violent movement of the rakehead under the impulse of the weight of the loac.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, the operation and advantages of thisinveution will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains. The construction is simple and inexpensive, and a rake constructed in accordance with this invention may be handled with ease and Without necessity of the exercise of violent muscular or manual effort.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a rake of the class described, a pushframe, a rake-head connected pivotally therewith and having an upward-extending member, a lifter-frame connected hingedly with said member, a bolt connected for longitudinal movement with said lifter-frame, a bufferplate upon said bolt in contact with the head of the latter, a spring coiled upon said bolt between the buffer-plate and the lifter-frame, and a hand-lever connected with said bolt.

2. A push-frame, a rake-head connected therewith for pivotal movement,a lifter-frame connected hingedly with said rake-head, a hand-lever,amember connected pivotally with said hand-lever and slidably with the lifterframe,and a cushion-spring between the lifterframe and the hand-lever.

3. A push-frame, a rake -head connected therewith for pivotal movement, a lifterframe connected hingedly with said rake-head, a rod or bolt connected slidably with the lifterframe, a bufler-plate slidable upon said bolt,-

acushion-spring between the butl'er-plate and the lifter-frame, and means for applying traction in a rearward direction to the bufferplate.

4. A push-frame, a rake-head connected therewith for pivotal movement, a lifter-frame connected hingedly with said rake-head to tilt the same, a bolt member connected slidably with the lifter-frame, a buffer-plate slidable upon said bolt, a cushion-spring between the buffer-plate and the lifting-frame, suitablysupported levers having means for applying draft to their free ends, a pair of suitablysupported bell-crank levers having rearwardextending arms, links connecting the latter with the free ends of the draft-levers, and links connecting the laterally-extending arms of the bell-cranks with the buffer-plate.

5. A push-frame, a rake-head connected therewith for pivotal movement, a lifter-frame connected hingedly with the rake-head, draftlevers pivoted upon the push-frame, bellcrank levers pivoted upon a supporting-plate mounted upon the push-frame and having laterally-extending and rearwardly-extending arms, a hand-lever supported upon the pushframe, a bolt member connected pivotally with said hand-lever and slidably with the lifter-frame, a buffer-plate slidable upon said bolt member, a cushion-spring between said buffer-plate and the lifter-frame, links connecting said bufier-plate with the laterallyextending arms of the bell-crank levers, and links connecting the rearward-extending arms of the bell-crank levers with the draft-levers.

6. In a hay-rake of the class described having a lifter-frame connected hingedly with the rake-head for the purpose of tilting the same and means for transmitting traction exercised by the draft-animals in a rearward direction to said lifter-frame, a cushion-spring interposed between said lifter-frame and the means for applying rearward draft to the same, whereby said lifter-frame may move rearward, against the tension of said spring, independently of the draft appliance.

7. In a hay-rake of the class described, a push-frame, a rake-head connected therewith for pivotal movement, a lifter-frame connected hingedly with the rake-head, draft-levers pivoted upon the push-frame, means for guiding and for limiting the movement of said draft-levers, a su pporting-plate mounted upon the push-frame, a pair of bell-crank levers supported upon said plate and connected therewith by a single pivot, said bell-crank levers having laterally -extending and 'rearwardlyextending arms, a hand-lever pivoted upon the supporting-plate, a bolt member connected pivotally with said hand-lever and slidingly with the lifter-frame, a bufi'er-plate slidably engaging said bolt member and having laterally-extending wings, a cushion-spring between the bufi'er-plate and the lifter-frame, links connecting the laterally-extending wings of the butter-plate with the laterally-extending arms of the bell-crank levers, and links connecting the rearward-extending arms of said bell-cranks with the free ends of the draft members.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto atfixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

OLER P. VROOM.

Witnesses:

J. B. WILLIAMS, (JrEo. B. MILBURN. 

